Eating disorder duration

Eating disorders manifest through behavioral patterns of the sufferers and their obsession about their body shape or weight. There are several different eating disorders and each person may show different symptoms once suffering from this health phenomenon. Most sufferers deny the symptoms and do not seek treatment, making this condition harder to get rid of.

Types of Eating Disorders

Major eating disorders branch into anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and some other eating disorders which are not specifically specified. Commonly, people suffering from eating disorders deal with mixtures of both anorexia and bulimia where bulimia is the next stage of patients diagnosed with anorexia in more than 50% of cases.

Facts about Eating Disorders

People who suffer from these types of disorders are usually prone to hostility, chaotic lifestyles and isolation. Lack of empathy and low levels of nurture are common as well. People who suffer from anorexia nervosa are usually people with great expectations and an achiever's spirit, even though two thirds of these individuals live at home with their parents. In fact many bulimic people claim that their disorder is closely connected to their relationship with their family.

About a third of patients suffering from eating disorders manage to overcome their condition, while the other two thirds either succeed in regulating their symptoms or remain suffering from their eating issue.

Anorexia nervosa

As far as anorexia nervosa is concerned, about 44 to 76% of people manage to overcome this condition over up to 59 months while 20% of the sufferers die due to suicide or cardiac arrest. Accepting the problem and working on solutions for it are both main signs of improvement when it comes to anorexia. On the other hand, consuming drugs or medications, remaining antisocial and showing other negative symptoms are usually signs of matters getting worse.

People suffering from bulimia nervosa achieve short-term recovery in about 50 to 70% of cases. Yet, about 50% of patients fail to remain free of this condition for more than 6 months. Nevertheless, bulimic individuals battle their condition easier than anorexic ones. Unless a bulimic person ends up hospitalized, prone to vomiting, antisocial and pessimistic, the chances of recovery are great.

Finally, people with eating disorders have commonly been exposed to depression or dysthymia, sexual abuse, OCD, drug abuse or bipolar disorder. During the course of any eating disorder, the patient may develop numerous other illnesses and conditions like sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure etc.